Las causas del retraso del habla
¿Qué es el retraso del lenguaje?
Speech delay (alalia) is defined by a delay in speech development. This means a delay in making the necessary sounds for speech.
¿Cuáles son algunos de los signos de retraso del habla en mi hijo?
A child who is not meeting the developmental milestones for speech may be showing signs of speech delay.
Los siguientes hitos están ordenados según la edad.
| Edad | Hito del habla |
| 6-12 meses | Balbucea usando diferentes sonidos, hace los sonidos de ciertas palabras pero sin significado, dice la primera palabra |
| 12-18 meses | Puede hablar 2-3 palabras (a menudo sin significado), intenta imitar palabras y sonidos. |
| 18-24 meses | Conoce y usa hasta 50 palabras, hace ruidos de animales, nombra objetos comunes y cotidianos. |
| 2-3 años | Usa oraciones de 3 palabras, comienza a usar pronombres y adjetivos en el habla |
¿Cuáles son las principales causas del retraso del habla?
- Hearing Impairment – This may be congenital and present at birth. Or it may develop after birth due to underlying health issues, rare disease, or injury and trauma. Hearing checks should be included within infant and child developmental checks throughout a child’s first few years of life.
- Neglect or a lack of stimulation in a caring environment – Children who are not spoken to enough, who do not receive adequate parental or attention from a guardian during their formative years may experience speech delay. This delay may be offset by support with speech and language learning.
- Premature birth – Prematurity at birth can be a potential cause of speech delay in a toddler or young child. Being born prematurely can affect different areas of an infant’s development, and often their development should be tracked from their due date and not their actual date of birth.
- A rare disease or genetic syndrome – Speech delay may sometimes be the sign or symptom of a rare disease. Angelman, Pitt-Hopkins, and Russell Silver syndrome all present with speech delay. If a rare disease is suspected as a cause of speech delay in a child, a recommendation may be made for further assessment, including Asesoramiento genético and analysis.
- Speech and language disorders – There are several speech and language disorders- autism and auditory processing disorder- which have speech delay as a feature.
- A physical condition – This can include damage or an impairment relating to the body’s parts required for speech. This could involve the palate or tongue or a short frenulum (the fold beneath the tongue).
El seguimiento del desarrollo del habla de su hijo es importante para comprender si tiene un retraso en el habla o no. Algunos niños desarrollan su habla más tarde y necesitan más tiempo para alcanzar los hitos del desarrollo. La intervención temprana y el apoyo con el habla son la clave para mejorar los resultados del habla y el lenguaje de un niño, independientemente de la causa del retraso en el habla.
